"Well, not precisely," grinned Bob; "I"ve been in durance vile."
In response to their questionings he detailed a semi-humorous account of his abduction, detention and escape. His three auditors listened with the deepest attention.
As the recital progressed to the point wherein Bob described his midnight escape, Amy, unnoticed by the others, leaned back and closed her eyes. The colour left her face for a moment, but the next instant had rushed back to her cheeks in a tide of deeper red. She thrust forward, her eyes snapping with indignation.
"They are desperate; there"s no doubt of it," was Thorne"s comment. "And they won"t stop at this. I wish the trial was to-morrow. We must get your testimony in shape before anything happens."
Amy was staring across the table at them, her lips parted with horror.
"You don"t think they"ll try anything worse!" she gasped.
Bob started to rea.s.sure her, but Thorne in his matter-of-fact way broke in.
"I don"t doubt they"ll try to get him proper, next time. We must get out papers and the sheriff after this Saleratus Bill."
"He"ll be almighty hard to locate," put in California John.
"And I think we"d better not let Bob, here, go around alone any more."
"I don"t think he ought to go around at all!" Amy amended this vigorously.
Bob shot at her an obliquely humorous glance, before which her own fell.
Somehow the humour died from his.
"Bodyguard accepted with thanks," said he, recovering himself. "I"ve had enough Wild West on my own account." His words and the expression of his face were facetious, but his tones were instinct with a gravity that attracted even Thorne"s attention. The Supervisor glanced at the young man curiously, wondering if he were going to lose his nerve at the last.
But Bob"s personal stake was furthest from his mind. Something in Amy"s half-frightened gesture had opened a new door in his soul. The real and insistent demands of the situation had been suddenly struck shadowy while his forces adjusted themselves to new possibilities.
"Ware"s your man," suggested California John. "He"s a gun-man, and he"s got a nerve like a saw mill man."
"Where is Ware?" Thorne asked Amy.
"He"s over at Fair"s shake camp. He will be back to-morrow."
"That"s settled, then. How about Welton? Is he warned? You say he"ll testify?"
"If he has to," replied Bob, by a strong effort bringing himself back to a practical consideration of the matter in hand. "At least he"ll never perjure himself, if he"s called. Welton"s case is different. Look here; it"s bound to come out, so you may as well know the whole situation."
He paused, glancing from one to another of his hearers. Thorne"s keen face expressed interest of the alert official; California John"s mild blue eye beamed upon him with a dawning understanding of the situation; Amy, intuitively divining a more personal trouble, looked across at him with sympathy.
"John, here, will remember the circ.u.mstance," said Bob. "It happened about the time I first came out here with Mr. Welton. It seems that Plant had a.s.sured him that everything was all arranged so our works and roads could cross the Forest, so we went ahead and built them. In those days it was all a matter of form, anyway. Then when we were ready to go ahead with our first season"s work, up steps Plant and asks to see our permission, threatening to shut us down! Of course, all he wanted was money."
"And Welton gave it to him?" cried Amy.
"It wasn"t a case of buy a privilege," explained Bob, "but of life itself. We were operating on borrowed money, and just beginning our first year"s operations. The season is short in these mountains, as you know, and we were under heavy obligations to fulfil a contract for sawed lumber. A delay of even a week meant absolute ruin to a large enterprise. Mr. Welton held off to the edge of danger, I remember, exhausting every means possible here and at Washington to rush through the necessary permission."
"Why didn"t he tell the truth--expose Plant? Surely no department would endorse that," put in Amy, a trifle subdued in manner.
"That takes time," Bob pointed out. "There was no time."
"So Welton came through," said Thorne drily. "What has that got to do with it?"
"Baker paid the money for him," said Bob.
"Well, they"re both in the same boat," remarked Thorne tranquilly. "I don"t see that that gives him any hold on Welton."
"He threatens to turn state"s evidence in the matter, and seems confident of immunity on that account."
"He can"t mean it!" cried Amy.
"Sheer bluff," said Thorne.
"I thought so, and went to see him. Now I am sure not. He means it; and he"ll do it when this case against the Modoc Company is pushed."
"I thought you said Welton would testify?" observed Thorne.
"He will. But naturally only if he is summoned."
"Then what----"
"Oh, I see. Baker never thought he could keep Welton from telling the truth, but knew perfectly well he would not volunteer the evidence. He used his hold over Welton to try to keep me from bringing forward this testimony. Sort of relied on our intimacy and friendship."
"But you will testify?"
"I think I see my duty that way," said Bob in a troubled voice.
"Quite right," said Thorne, dispa.s.sionately; "I"m sorry." He arose from the table. "This is most important. I don"t often issue positive prohibitions in my capacity of superior officer; but in this instance I must. I am going to request you not to leave camp on any errand unless accompanied by Ranger Ware."
Bob nodded a little impatiently. California John paused before following his chief into the office.
"It"s good sense, boy," said he, "and n.o.body gives a darn for your worthless skin, you know. It"s just the information you got inside it."
"Right," laughed Bob, his brow clearing. "I forgot."
California John nodded at him, and disappeared into the office.
Bob turned to Amy with a laughing comment that died on his lips. The girl was standing very straight on the other side of the table. One little brown hand grasped and crushed the edge of her starched ap.r.o.n; her black brows were drawn in a straight line of indignation beneath which her splendid eyes flashed; her rounded bosom, half-defined by the loose, soft blue of her simple gown, rose and fell rapidly.
"And you"re going to do it?" she threw across at him.
Bob, bewildered, stared at her.
"You"re going to deliver over your friend to prison?" She moved swiftly around the table to stand close to him. "Surely you can"t mean to do that! You"ve worked with him, and lived with him--and he"s a dear, jolly old man!"
"Hold on!" cried Bob, recovering from the first shock, and beginning to enjoy the situation. "You don"t understand. If I don"t give my testimony, think what the Service will lose in the Basin."
"Lose!" she cried indignantly. "What of it? Do you think if I had a friend who was near and dear to me I"d sacrifice him for all the trees in the mountains? How can you!"
"_Et tu Brute_!" said Bob a little wearily. "Where is all the no-compromise talk I"ve heard at various times, and the high ideals, and the loyalty to the Service at any cost, and all the rest of it? You"re not consistent."